Benfica vs. Nacional: Portuguese Primeira Liga Week 3 Preview
Benfica will be looking to secure three points when they face Nacional at Estádio da Madeira only days after landing a berth in the money-making UEFA Champions League.
Benfica:
The high flying Eagles comfortably secured their passage to the group stages of the UEFA Champions League after soundly beating FC Twente 3-1 at Estadio da Luz.
Jorge Jesus’s men look to have finally hit top gear, with their resounding victory over the Tukkers reflecting on the quality they now possess. Having qualified for the prestigious European competition, they can now turn their attention to domestic matters.
Benfica hosted Feirense last weekend and cruised to three points, with a score line identical to the mid-week clash. Oscar Cardozo, Nolito and Bruno Cesar netted for the home side, while the show against the Dutch side was orchestrated by Axel Witsel with
a helping role from Luisao.
Back to their glorious best, Nacional will have to be on their toes to prevent the now-very-confident side from starting a rout.
Nacional:
It has not been the opening to the season which Nacional were hoping for. Held to a scoreless draw against Feirense, before being emphatically dumped out of the UEFA Europa League by Birmingham City, manager Ivo Vieira is already feeling the pressure at
the helm.
The Alvinegros enjoyed a 6th place finish last season, allowing them to compete in Europe alongside their bread and butter, the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
While it is usually an honour to add more fixtures to their campaign list, Nacional looked to have suffered from the additional matches and that reflected in their score-less draw against Feirense.
Now they welcome Lisbon giants Benfica to Madeira and it is an encounter which Vieira will try to win, possibly to get over the pangs of a short and disappointing European adventure.
Team News:
Benfica:
One person who is going to be the first on Jorge Jesus’s starting eleven against Nacional is Axel Witsel. The Belgian International arrived as a promising youngster from Standard Liege over the summer and has managed to set Estadio da Luz alive with his
explosive performances.
Having netted a brilliant brace against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Twente-c39233, the coach will be keen to give the 22-year-old a key role once again and in all likelihood, Witsel will steal the show again.
Currently, the Reds are in an inevitable position with the majority of the stars fit and fresh for the weekend game. Oscar Cardozo, Luisao, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Pablo-Aimar-c28938 and Nolito have looked surprisingly sharp in the early exchanges of the new season and will look to inflict
maximum damage on their opponents.
The only casualty for the Lisbon outfit is http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ezequiel-Garay-c13071, who is definitely ruled out for this one. However Jorge Jesus has able deputies in Jardel and Miguel Vitor, one of whom will play in the centre of defence alongside skipper Luisao.
Nacional:
Despite being faced with an unenviable task, Nacional can expect a positive result from the match, especially with the likes of Mihelič, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Nuno-Pinto-c28241, Skolnik Aurelio and John returning to the first team fold.
The quartet missed the club’s 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Birmingham City but are in contention for the clash with Benfica, a good omen for Ivo Vieira, who will be looking for his first win of the 2011/12 Portuguese Primeira Liga campaign.
Key Players:
Benfica: Axel Witsel
A sublime overhead kick and a well-taken finish makes http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Axel-Witsel-c7029 the man of the moment in Lisbon. His displays have been nothing less than a revelation for Benfica, who will be counting on him to be at his mercurial best when they travel to Madeira.
Nacional: Luis http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alberto-c4309
The midfielder netted in back-to-back goals against Hacken and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FH-c39262 Hafnarfjordur but since then has been rather shy of getting on the score sheet. Nonetheless, he is one of Nacional’s most potent attacking weapons and will be crucial if his side are to get
a decent result against Benfica.
Prediction:
Benfica 3:0 Nacional
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